This week has been one of the worst weeks, if not the worst, for famed game developer Bungie. A few days ago, the original developer of the Halo games, and now the makers of the Destiny franchise, laid off a significant number of employees. Later, it was reported that the main reason for the layoffs was due to a huge drop in player numbers in Destiny 2. It also reportedly affected the game"s revenue, which was reportedly 45 percent below the developer"s expectations.
In short, Destiny 2 players are leaving and taking their time and money elsewhere. Today, Bungie posted an update on its site. It admitted that the past week "has been one of the most difficult weeks in our studio’s history."
It also admitted that it has received and understood the poor feedback from Destiny 2 players concerning the release of the last Destiny 2 expansion Lightfall earlier this year, along with recent Seasons and the reveal of the upcoming expansion The Last Shape.
Bungie stated:
We know we have lost a lot of your trust. Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven’t done this enough and that’s going to change. To us the path forward is clear: We need to make The Final Shape an unforgettable Destiny experience. We want to build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made – a fitting culmination that honors the journey we’ve been on together for the past ten years. Forsaken, The Witch Queen, and The Taken King – these are the standard bearers we aim to live up to.
Bungie added that currently they have over 650 team members working on Destiny 2, and they are "intensely focused on exceeding your expectations for The Final Shape."The developer says it will reveal more info on their next Season for the game in the next few weeks before it is released in late November.
It also stated that it will offer additional details on "our team’s bigger, bolder, and brighter vision" for The Final Shape in the near future. Unconfirmed reports claim the expansion"s launch has been pushed back from late February 2024 to June 2024 but today"s message from Bungie made no mention of such a date change.